Composite removable hard top

ABSTRACT

A removable hardtop including inner and outer roof panels made of molded fiber reinforced sheet molding compound. An integral roll bar is formed in the inner roof panel. A hold down clamp and bracket having horizontal, vertical and transverse flanges mounted on a horizontal edge, vertical surface and transverse surface of a B pillar of a vehicle. A method of molding the inner and outer roof panels and assembling component parts to the inner and outer roof panels is also disclosed.

This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 09/621,386 filed Jul. 21,2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,438,843 which is a divisional of Ser. No.09/469,198 (now U.S. Pat. No. 6,135,535) filed Dec. 21, 1999.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a removable roof for a vehicle and amethod of making a removable roof.

BACKGROUND ART

Removable roofs are known for use in conjunction with convertiblevehicles including premium vehicles such as the BMW 325 CI, BMW Z3, andas, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,489,146 to Fischbach. Removable hardtops address one drawback of convertible vehicles by providing a durabletop for a vehicle during the winter months while the convertible top maybe kept in its stowed position protecting it against the elements.

Prior art removable hard tops are normally built on a frame havingmultiple components to which rigid panels are assembled. In an effort toimprove rollover protection, metal roll bars may be incorporated intothe removable roof structure or an active roll bar system may beincorporated in other portions of the passenger compartment. Removabletops having a separate frame are expensive to manufacture and arerelatively heavy. As vehicles are normally assembled there is a limitedamount of twisting and tolerance stack up that can result in variancesin vehicle mounting locations that can complicate securing a removableroof to the vehicle.

Styling requirements may limit the space available for hold down clampsused to secure the sides of a removable top to a vehicle. The inclusionof side windows in a removable top imposes substantial limitations onthe space available for hold down clamp assemblies. While it isdesirable to provide larger, more robust hold down clamp assemblies,space limitations and weight reduction considerations provide challengesin the design of removable vehicle roofs and their associated hold downclamp structures.

These and other problems and challenges are addressed by Applicant'sinvention as summarized below.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

According to the present invention, a method of making a removable rooffor a vehicle is provided. The method includes forming an outer panel ofthe roof in a heated mold from a sheet of thermoset plastic resin havingfiber reinforcement material distributed in the resin. The thermosetplastic resin sheet is formed in the mold to the net size and shape ofthe roof outer panel. An inner panel of the roof is similarly formed ina second mold from a second sheet of thermoplastic resin with fiberreinforcement material distributed in the resin. The second sheet isformed to the net size and shape of the roof inner panel. The inner andouter roof panels are both trimmed and assembled to appropriate mountingbrackets and locking assemblies that are assembled to the inner roofpanel. The roof outer panel and roof inner panels are bonded together toform a removable roof for a vehicle.

One aspect of the invention is the formation of an integral roll bar onthe roof inner panel as the roof inner panel is molded. The integralroll bar is designed to withstand a 5,000 pound load or one and one halftimes the unloaded vehicle weight, whichever is less.

According to another aspect of the invention, the inner and outer roofpanels are formed from sheets of a sheet molding compound of thermosetplastic resin that is reinforced with either glass fibers, carbonfibers, polyacrylonitrile or a combination thereof.

According to the invention, a removable roof for a vehicle is providedfor a vehicle having a windshield including a header on an A pillarlocated in front of the front vehicle doors and a B pillar located infront of and rearward of the front vehicle doors, respectively. Theremovable roof has a fiber reinforced thermoset resin inner and outerpanel. The inner panel preferably includes an integrally formed rollbar. The removable roof for a vehicle is detachably secured to thevehicle by means of four attachment points two of which are right andleft hold down clamp assemblies that are secured to hold down bracketassemblies that are secured to the B pillar of the vehicle. A windshieldheader attachment bracket is secured to a front portion of the innerroof panel. Right and left roof hold down clamp assemblies and right andleft roof latch reinforcement plates are secured to right and left sidesof the inner panel of the roof. Right and left hold down bracketassemblies each comprise an upper plate, a bracket and a lower platethat are secured together and to the B pillar of the vehicle byfasteners.

According to another aspect of the removable roof of the presentinvention, the removable roof may be formed with a side surface fromwhich side window openings may be cut out after molding. The inner panelof the roof may also be formed with cavities below and forward of theside window openings in which roof hold down clamp assemblies may besecured.

According to another aspect of the invention, a pivotal shaft isrotatably retained in each of the mounting brackets wherein a cam issecured on one end to each of the pivotal shafts that are received byeach of the hold down bracket assemblies. A cam follower may be attachedto each of the B pillar brackets for receiving the cam of each of thepivotal shafts and providing an engagement point for the cams to pullthe clamp assemblies into engagement with the hold down bracketassemblies. B pillar brackets are preferably assembled to reinforcementplates and fastener retention plates that are assembled together withfasteners that extend through fastener receptacle holes. The B pillarbracket preferably includes a horizontally extending flange, alongitudinally extending flange, and a transversely extending flangethat are mounted to a horizontal edge, and longitudinal surface of the Bpillar. Elongated slots preferably provided in the B pillar bracketspermit adjustment of the location of the B pillar bracket fore and aftand transversely and longitudinally to compensate for variations invehicle roof locating positions.

These and other aspects, objects and advantages of the present inventionwill be better understood by one of ordinary skill in the art uponreview of the attached drawings and following detailed description ofthe drawings and of the best mode of practicing the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary side elevation view of a vehicle having aremovable roof made according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a removable roof for avehicle;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a hold down bracket assemblyfor a removable vehicle roof;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 4—4 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating the general steps in making aremovable roof for a vehicle;

FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing the steps required to mold an inner roofpanel and assembling parts to the panel;

FIG. 7 is a flow chart for molding an outer roof panel;

FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing the process steps for assembling an innerroof and outer roof together as a sub-assembly;

FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing the process steps for painting a roofassembly;

FIG. 10 is a flow chart showing the process steps for assemblinghardware to the roof assembly;

FIG. 11 is a flow chart showing the process steps for installing sidewindow glass and trim rings to a roof assembly; and

FIG. 12 is a flow chart showing the process steps for final assembly ofhead liner, weather strips, wiring harness and other parts to aremovable roof assembly.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, a removable roof assembly 10 is shownthat includes a molded outer roof panel 12 and a molded inner roof panel14 that are secured together. A head liner 16 is preferably clipped,fastened, or bonded to the inner roof panel 14 on the opposite side fromthe outer roof panel 12. A package tray or tonneau cover 18 forms partof the convertible vehicle 20 to which the roof assembly 10 is adaptedto be secured. Vehicle 20 includes a door 22 that provides ingress andegress to the front seat (not shown) of the vehicle 20. It should beunderstood that the present invention may be used with either two-dooror four-door vehicles.

The following description and the drawings illustrate the componentparts for the left side but does not in every instance describe orillustrate the corresponding right side parts for clarity and brevity.It should be understood that the right side includes mirror image partscorresponding to the left side parts described. When reference is madeto a side part it should be understood that both right and left sidesare generally provided in the completed assembly.

Referring to FIG. 1, vehicle 20 including the roof assembly 10 is shownto illustrate the environment of the roof assembly of the presentinvention. The door 22 of the vehicle 20 is connected by a hinge to theA pillar 24 of the vehicle 20 rearward of the windshield 26. Thewindshield 26 includes a header 28 to which the roof assembly 10 isjoined as will be more particularly described below. The vehicle alsoincludes a B pillar 30 that terminates at the belt line 32 of thevehicle. As shown in FIG. 3, the B pillar 30 on its upper end includes ahorizontal edge 34 and a longitudinal surface 36.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a hold down clamp assembly 40 is provided onthe roof assembly 10 and is adapted to be secured to the hold downbracket assembly 42 that is mounted on the horizontal edge 34 andlongitudinal surface 36 of the B pillar 30. The hold down clamp assembly40 is secured to the inner roof panel by a hold down clamp mountingplate 44. Hold down clamp assembly 40 includes a pivotal shaft 46 and alever 48. A cam 50 is provided on the distal end of the pivotal shaft 46and is adapted to be rotated by moving the lever 48 whereby the holddown clamp assembly may be secured or released from the hold downbracket assembly 42.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the hold down bracket assembly 42 includes abracket 52 that is secured to the B pillar 30. A reinforcement plate 54is secured to and reinforces the bracket 52. A fastener retention plate56 is provided on the opposite side of the bracket plate 52 from thereinforcement plate 54. A cam track cylinder 58 is secured by fasteners60 to the bracket 52. Cam track cylinder 58 includes a track in whichthe cam 50 is received that pulls the hold down clamp assembly 40 to thehold down bracket assembly 42 as the lever 48 is rotated.

A transverse slot 62 is provided in the reinforcement plate 54. Atransverse flange 64 is provided on the bracket 52. Longitudinal slot 66is formed in horizontal flange 68. Bolts 70 are provided that extendthrough the transverse slot 62 and longitudinal slot 66 that arereceived by weld nuts 72 which are secured to the fastener retentionplate 56. Weld nuts 72 are aligned with hole 76 through which the bolt70 will pass. A pilot hole 77 is provided in the hold down bracketassembly 42 for passage of the cam 50 and pivotal shaft 46 that extendsthrough the reinforcement plate 54, B-pillar 30 and fastener retentionplate 56.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 4, a roll bar 78 is integrally formed aspart of the inner roof panel 14. The rollbar 78 includes legs 80 thatare interconnected by a bridge section 82. The construction of therollbar 78 may include additional or special reinforcement fibers and isconfigured to provide crush strength sufficient to satisfy proposed oractual motor vehicle safety standards.

Referring now to FIG. 1, the windshield header 28 is engaged by a frontportion of the roof 86.

Referring now to FIG. 2, rear window 88 is provided in the roof assembly10. The rear window 88 may include an electrical defrost mechanism (notshown) for which a defrost wiring harness 90 is shown. The rear window88 is secured over an opening in the roof assembly 10 that extendsthrough the inner and outer roof panels 14 and 12 and the head liner 16that are sized to correspond to the dimensions of the rear window 88. Arear window molding 92 is shown for securing the rear window 88 to theroof assembly 10 and sealing about the rear window 88.

A side window opening 94 is provided in the outer roof panel 12, innerroof panel 14, and head liner 16. A side window 96 is assembled over theside window opening 94 by an inner support ring 98 and an outer mountingand trim ring 100.

A cavity, (not shown) is preferably formed forward of the side window 96and adjacent the belt line 32 of the vehicle. The hold down clampassembly 40 is preferably received in the cavity (not showed) tominimize the extent to which the hold down clamp assembly 40 protrudesinto the passenger compartment of the vehicle 20.

With continuing reference to FIG. 2, additional parts of the roofassembly 10 that are located in the front portion 86 and engage theheader 28 will be described in greater detail. The front roof dripmolding 106, front roof seal plate 108, front roof inner plate 110,front roof connector 112, and front roof trim molding 114 are allsecured to the front portion of the roof 86. The seal plate 108 ispreferably bonded to the inner roof panel prior to assembly to the outerroof panel 12. The seal plate 108 preferably includes tapped holes orother mechanisms for securing other components of the roof in the frontportion of the roof 86.

Both sides of the roof assembly 10 are provided with a side roof dripmolding 118, a side roof rail weather strip 120 and a side roof innertapping plate 122. The side roof inner tapping plate 122 is preferablybonded to the inner roof panel 14 prior to assembling the inner roofpanel 14 to the outer roof panel 12. The side roof inner tapping plate122 provides rigidity and a durable member to which the drip molding andweather strip 118 and 120, respectively, are secured.

A hold down bracket cover 126 is provided to cover the hold down bracketassembly 42. A wiring harness 128 is provided to allow for the hold downclamp assembly 40 to be monitored by means of sensors (not shown).Electrical connectors 130 are shown for connecting sensors to the holddown clamp assembly 40 or hold down bracket assembly 42 to provide aconvenient system for monitoring the position of the hold down clampassembly.40. A side molding retainer 132 is secured to the outside ofthe outer roof panel 12 as is a center molding retainer 134. Rear seal136 and side moldings 138 and center molding 140 are secured to thelower rear edge 142 of the roof assembly 10.

The process for molding and assembling the roof assembly 10 is describedwith reference to the attached process flow charts. FIG. 5 presents anoverview of the hard top assembly process. Each step of the overviewflow chart refers to subsequent figures that illustrate the process ingreater detail.

Referring to FIG. 5, general process includes steps of molding the roofinner panel at 150. This general overview also shows the process elementof molding the roof outer panel and performing sub assembly at 152. Theroof inner panel 14 and roof outer panel 12 sub assemblies are assembledat 154. After the roof inner 14 and outer panels 12 are assembledtogether at 154 the roof assembly 10 is painted at 156. After painting,the roof assembly 10 hardware is installed at 158. The roof assemblyglass installation process steps are represented by reference number160. The roof assembly 10 undergoes final assembly steps at 162.

Referring now to FIG. 6, molding of the roof inner panel 14 is depicted.A sheet molding compound (hereinafter “SMC”) charge is cut and weighedaccording to a predetermined pattern at 164. The SMC charge pattern isloaded into the roof inner panel mold at 166. The SMC is molded bycompression molding to form the general structure of the roof innerpanel to near net size and shape at 168. The deflashing step 170includes the step of deflashing the edges of the roof inner panel 14 andcutting the window openings. The roof inner panel 14 is transferred to aroof assembly bond fixture represented by reference number 172.

Referring now to FIG. 7, the roof outer panel mold and sub assemblyprocess is shown to begin with cutting and weighing the SMC chargepattern at 180. The SMC charge pattern is loaded into the roof outerpanel mold at 182. The SMC charge is compression molded to form the roofouter panel 12 at 184. After forming, the roof outer panel 12 is coatedin the mold at 186. The roof outer panel 12 is deflashed at 188 whereinthe perimeter of the roof outer panel is deflashed and the side windowopenings are cut. The roof outer panel 12 is then transferred from thedeflash fixture to the roof assembly bond fixture as represented byreference number 190.

Referring now to FIG. 8, the roof inner panel 14 and roof outer panel 12sub assembly process is described in greater detail. The roof outerpanel is first clamped into the roof assembly bond fixture at 192. Anadhesive is applied to bond flange surfaces and side window trim ringsurfaces at 194. The roof inner panel is then fixtured and clamped inthe roof assembly bond fixture at 196. The side window trim rings 100are assembled on the roof outer panel 12 at 198. The inner and outerroof sub assembly is then transferred from the roof assembly bondfixture to the paint line at 200.

Referring now to FIG. 9, the roof assembly painting process is shown toinclude fixturing the roof inner and outer assembly 10 on a paint rackat 202. The inner and outer roof assembly 10 is then painted in thepaint primer station at 204. Roof assembly 10 is then painted at thepaint station 206 and then is transferred to a storage rack 208.

Referring now to FIG. 10, hardware attachment to the roof assembly 10 isshown in detail. The A and B pillar roof mounting brackets 40 and 112are loaded into the mounting bracket assembly fixture at 210. The roofassembly is fixtured and clamped in the bracket assembly fixture at 212.Hardware and trim parts are attached to the roof assembly at 214. The Aand B pillar roof mounting bracket fixture details are located in bodyposition at 216. The A and B pillar roof brackets 40 and 112 are thenassembled to the roof assembly at 218. The roof assembly with hardwareattached is then transferred to the window bond fixture at 220.

Referring now to FIG. 11, installation of glass in the roof assembly isdescribed in more detail. The roof assembly is clamped into the windowbond fixture at 222. Glass 96 is assembled to the adhesive on the sidewindow trim rings 100 at 224. The trim rings 98 and 100 are thenassembled to the window trim rings at 226. The roof assembly 10 withglass installed is then transferred to the roof head liner andweatherstrip assembly fixture at 228.

Referring now to FIG. 12, the final assembly steps are described indetail. The roof assembly is clamped in head liner and weather stripassembly fixture at 230. The head liner wiring harness 128 is clipped tothe roof assembly at 232 and the head liner 16 is attached to the roofassembly at 234. Weather stripping is attached to the roof assembly at236. The A and B pillar roof bracket mounting covers 126 are attached tothe roof assembly at 238 and the package tray 18 is attached to the roofassembly at 240 prior to being transferred to a storage rack at 242.

While embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described,it is not intended that these embodiments illustrate and describe allpossible forms of the invention. Rather, the words used in thespecification are words of description rather than limitation, and it isunderstood that various changes may be made without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A removable roof for a vehicle, the removableroof comprising: an outer roof panel manufactured out of plastic, theouter roof panel having an exterior surface and an interior surface; aninner roof panel manufactured out of plastic, the inner roof panelhaving an exterior surface and an interior surface, the inner roof panelfurther comprising at least one integrally formed roll bar; means forattaching the removable roof to the vehicle; wherein the exteriorsurface of the inner roof panel is bonded to the interior surface of theouter roof panel.
 2. The removable roof of claim 1 wherein the first andsecond roof panels have side window openings, and the removable rooffurther comprises: a side window assembled over the side window openingsof the inner and the outer roof panels and secured therein by an innersupport ring and an outer support ring.
 3. The removable top of claim 1wherein the inner roof panel is manufactured out of a fiber reinforcedplastic.
 4. The removable top of claim 3 wherein the outer roof panel ismanufactured out of a fiber reinforced plastic.
 5. The removable roof ofclaim 1 further comprising: a head liner secured to the inner roofpanel.
 6. The removable roof of claim 1 wherein the means for attachingthe removable roof to the vehicle comprise a hold down clamp assembly.7. The removable roof of claim 6 wherein the hold down clamp assembly issecured to the inner roof panel by hold down clamp mounting plate. 8.The removable roof of claim 1 further comprising a rear window.
 9. Theremovable top of claim 1 further comprising side roof drip moldings,side roof rail weather strips, and side roof inner tapping plate. 10.The removable roof of claim 9 wherein the inner tapping plate is bondedto the inner roof panel prior to assembling the inner roof panel to theouter roof panel to provide a durable member to which the drip moldingand weather strip are secured.
 11. The removable roof of claim 1 furthercomprising a side molding retainer secured to the exterior surface ofthe outer roof panel.